


Only In New York

by Trashcanakin



Series: Trash's 2019 Bingo fills [3]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Animal Death, Banter For Days, Crack, Crack Treated Seriously, Don't copy to another site, Fluff and Crack, M/M, Many Innuendos, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Pre-Relationship, Pre-Slash, Sort Of, Tony & Bucky did NOT sign up for this shit, a lot of swearing, aliens goblins mecha rhinos landsharks, first mission gone wrong, infinity war what infinity war, it's a riot, literally this is insanity haha, so many, well....yeah
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-30
Updated: 2019-06-30
Packaged: 2020-05-31 08:24:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19422181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trashcanakin/pseuds/Trashcanakin
Summary: Tony and Bucky go out on a mission, it definitely does not go as planned. it was supposed to be a simple mission, what did they do to deserve this?





	Only In New York

**Author's Note:**

> Made for TSB: A2 - Only In New York | BBB: U3 - Tony Stark/Iron Man | WIB: O5 - On A Mission
> 
> \---
> 
> A big huge thank ya to [QueenMaeve](https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenMaeve) and [Gabby](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gabby227/pseuds/gabby227) for bein' my betas! 
> 
> An' to all the peeps in the WI server who kept me motivated!!

  
⤜⤑⤑⋆✩❂✩⋆⬸⬸⤛

The loud shrill of the Avenger's alarm cut through the silence of the empty tower. It wasn't completely empty, of course, but nearly all the Avengers were already on a mission of their own. 

"Fuck, this is just what we needed. Why do things always happen when our headcount is low?" Tony let out an exasperated sigh. 

"FRIDAY, baby girl, who all is available?" He asked the AI as he got up from his workbench and started for the door. 

"Sergeant Barnes is the only one in the tower, Boss," came her reply. 

"Great. Awesome. I guess he'll have to do, then. Time for a promotion. Send my suit up for me, would you? I have to go wrangle a popsicled assassin."

"Everything is already on the way, Boss." 

He knew she'd send up Bucky's things as well, without needing to ask. FRIDAY was just good like that. He loved his little girl, always on point, two steps ahead of the game. 

⤜⤑⤑⋆✩❂✩⋆⬸⬸⤛

"Hey there, Robocop. Suit up, we're going on an adventure," Tony said walking into the common room where the aforementioned sergeant sat at the table. 

"Me?" Bucky asked in surprise, pointing at himself for emphasis.

"Well, I don't see any other cyborgs in here. Of course you," he smirked. 

"Tony, are ya sure? I thought I wasn't cleared for goin' out on missions yet?" he questioned. 

"Think of this as me clearing you. Yup, you're an Avenger now. Full blown, ready for action. I'll even get you a badge and a nametag if you want one!" he exclaimed with sarcastic enthusiasm. 

"You're an asshole, Stark," he said rolling his eyes, the corner of his mouth lilting up slightly. 

"Well, you know who I am," Tony started with a wink. "Meet me in the hangar in three, all your gear is already on the Quinjet." 

Bucky was a little skeptical, he wasn't sure Tony was actually authorized to make those kinds of decisions, but he agreed and headed for the hangar like he was told. 

⤜⤑⤑⋆✩❂✩⋆⬸⬸⤛

"Where are we goin'?" Bucky asked a few minutes after they'd taken off. 

"Not far, the call came from somewhere downtown," he replied. 

Bucky looked as if he was lost in thought, like he wanted to say more, but wouldn't. Tony noticed; he wouldn't be him if he didn't. 

"Got something on your mind, Soldier?" he asked instead, easing the way for conversation. 

Bucky's brows knitted together just slightly, but after a short pause, he asked, "Why...why bring me, Tony? I wasn't even a full Avenger yet. Where is everyone else?" 

Tony sighed.

"I asked you because there _is_ no one else," he stated matter of factly, turning to look at the other man. "But that doesn't mean you were a last resort, and it definitely doesn't mean I don't think you're ready for this." 

Bucky raised his eyes to meet Tony's and smiled, a small, barely noticeable thing. But Tony noticed, he always notices. 

"You're ready, Bucky, and you'll do great, I have complete faith in you," he smiled back. 

He and Bucky had gone through their many ups and downs after the fallout of the Sokovia accords and the Civil War, but they'd come past it; moved on. Tony hadn’t been sure he ever would, wasn't sure the Avengers would ever be what they once were, and technically, he was right. Because after the fallout, and working so hard to get the Rogues pardoned and brought home, and the initial pain of arguing and fighting amongst themselves for weeks, something broke; but it was also reformed. 

The Accords were finalized and perfected, the Rogues, and especially Bucky, were pardoned and cleared of all crimes, and after brawling amongst themselves about friendships lost and betrayals, they all picked each other back up. 

The Avengers aren't what they once were, they're better. 

And after taking the time to help Barnes with his triggers, therapy, and all that other good stuff, they inevitably grew closer. It was rocky and fragile at first, but with time that heals all wounds, they overcame it. They bonded and became friends, became _family._

"Well, if you're sure," Bucky stated, light finally coming back to his features. 

"Oh, I am, but we all know the _real_ reason you act like you don't want to be on this mission, it's _me_ , isn't it?" he joked in a mock hurt tone, shooting a wink at the other man again. 

"You're absolutely right, Stark. You're the worst," he deadpanned, but couldn't stop the grin from breaking his features. Shaking his head, he looked away.

The rest of the ride, short as it was, was mostly calm. Bucky listened to Tony and FRIDAY talk back and forth about the mission, giving input where necessary and nodding in acknowledgement when Tony mentioned something important. He checked his gear probably more times than necessary, but this was his first official mission and he didn't want to let Tony, or anyone else down. 

The mission was apparently an easy one, not worthy of all hands on deck. Iron Man probably could have handled it alone, but Bucky was here, and he'd follow Iron Man's lead. 

⤜⤑⤑⋆✩❂✩⋆⬸⬸⤛

When they finally arrived, it was to utter chaos in the streets. People were running around, screaming, crying… 

They were baffled. No enemy could be seen at all, anywhere. Nothing came up on FRIDAY's scans, either. 

"Hey, what's going on here?" Tony stopped a woman and asked. 

"CLOWNS!" She shrieked before running off. 

"Clowns?" Bucky questioned, cocking an eyebrow. "There wasn't anything about clowns in the mission file." 

"Yeah...not sure on that one," Tony's face scrunched up in confusion. "Well, alright then, let's split up and look for clues," Tony chuckled to himself. 

Rolling his eyes fondly at the other's words, Bucky asked, "What are you, five?" 

"Add a zero and it's closer," he chuckled. 

"Sure." 

⤜⤑⤑⋆✩❂✩⋆⬸⬸⤛

Tony and Bucky could see everyone running and hiding, but couldn't for the life of them figure out _what_ was causing all the calamity. There were more and more people seemingly freaking out over nothing at all, and everyone kept mentioning seeing something different. 

But they were all things neither of them could see themselves.

"Boss, if I may?" FRIDAY's voice chirped in Tony's ears. 

"You got something for me, Fri?" 

"I'm not entirely sure if it's related, but almost two minutes before the mission alarm rang, there were many accounts of people stating that an odd beam of light shot through downtown." 

"Is that so?" 

"Yes, and I have checked many sources. I believe this debacle to be of...magical origin," she stated, almost in disgust. His little girl was so much like him, it created a feeling of warmth in his chest. 

"Great. Magic. Just what we need," he sighed. "Did you catch that, Soldier?" he asked over their comms. 

"Copy. So...what do we do?" Bucky asked. 

"Fri, get me a link to Gandalf, would you?" 

"Of course, Boss." 

⤜⤑⤑⋆✩❂✩⋆⬸⬸⤛

It only took a couple minutes for Strange to arrive. Tony and Bucky tried keeping the panic at bay as much as they could, but without an actual opponent to fight, they were at a loss. Trying to soothe people who were freaking out over invisible horrors was definitely not easy. They felt helpless. 

Apparently, that weird light beam had come from an ancient artifact not of their world. So somehow, an extraterrestrial being had gotten to Earth and shot the ray at a popsicle stand. 

And _apparently_ anyone who had a hankering for a sugary frozen treat picked the wrong day to eat ice cream from a street vendor; because the artifact caused hysteria and hallucinations. 

Oh, it also could be transferred from person to person via skin to skin contact. That would explain how so many people were affected, since, even though it was hot out, they couldn't imagine _that many_ people all got food from the same place. It also would explain why Bucky and Tony _didn't_ get affected, since Tony was in the Iron Man suit and Bucky was wearing his tac gear and gloves. The only skin showing on him was his face.

"How do we fix this, Doc?" Tony asked. 

"I can reverse the effects of the spell, but I'll have to do it for each person individually," Strange stated, brows furrowing. "Might be able to do more at once, but the range only goes about five feet." 

"It won't be easy, especially with everyone running around like the pits of Hell just opened," Tony said.

Strange called Wong for assistance and Tony gave them both their own comm links for easier communication. 

"Alright, Soldier, you and I are gonna have to round all these people up and call the wizards to reverse this magical bullshit beam, and remember, don't let them touch your beautiful face," he ordered before flying off. 

Bucky just shook his head. Even through the robotic voice of the Iron Man suit, he could hear the teasing in the other man's tone, and he would bet money that Tony winked again. 

Bucky couldn't help but smile as he ran off to do his duty. 

⤜⤑⤑⋆✩❂✩⋆⬸⬸⤛

Thankfully, after Strange and Wong were on board, fixing this disaster didn't take much longer. After running some type of magical sweep of the area, Strange said they were all in the clear, everyone was back to normal, and couldn't see any traces of the artifact that caused it. 

Tony wasn't sure how to handle magical space artifacts, so he left finding that to Strange, saying he'd keep an eye out and his ears open for any news. They weren't authorized to run a search mission anyways, and since Strange and Wong weren't Avengers, they _technically_ didn't have to listen to their higher ups. 

"So, how was that for a first mission, Robocop?" Tony snickered. The mission was rather stressful, but all in all, the damage was low and the majority of the people came out okay. A little shaken, but ultimately unharmed. 

"Not too bad, sugar," he replied. 

"Hey, since we're here...how about some ice cream?" Tony quipped, faceplate flipping up so the other could see his smirk. 

"I could kill you," he deadpanned. 

"Ah yes, but you won't," Tony chuckled. 

"Yeah, I won't...not sure how I'd explain to Steve the reason why you're missing," Bucky said in a playful tone.

"Missing!? You would murder me, then hide my body in some shack? How rude, Terminator, terribly rude," he expressed sarcastically, clutching his chest for dramatic flair. 

"You think I'd hide ya in a shack? I think I could dispose of a body better than that, Tony. Now who's rude?" he joked, shaking his head affectionately. 

"You're absolutely right, Tasty Freeze."

"Ya hafta call me that specific nickname while we're standin' next to a demonic ice cream wagon? New low," Bucky declared, perfect deadpan in place. 

Tony snickered in response. 

"Hey, uh, is it safe to come out now?" a voice called out, startling both of them. 

Bucky and Tony's attention shot towards the voice, just as a man's head poked out from behind the counter of the small street cart. 

"Were you in there the whole time!?" Tony barked out. 

"Uh, yeah. Everyone started freaking out, so I hid in the cupboards." 

The two Avengers shared a look, but Tony couldn't stop the small giggles from escaping. Bucky's brows were furrowed and his mouth was pressed firm together, Tony knew he was trying not to laugh himself. 

"I was gonna come out as soon as it was clear, but your two's flirting made me second guess it," the man said. 

"We were not flirting!" Tony screeched, looking appalled.

"Uh huh, suuuuure," the man mocked. 

Tony peered over at Bucky, looking for help, but the man's gaze was fixated on the ground, looking uncomfortably stunned. There was a slight blush creeping onto his face which only caused a deep blush to creep its way onto Tony's face as well. 

This is ridiculous. 

"You boys have fun now, ya hear?" the nameless man quipped, walking off with a grin. 

After a short while that seemed like a decade, Tony's voice cracked the awkward silence.

"Uh," he started.

"Yup! Nope. All good!" Bucky stammered. 

"I agree, let's go home," Tony said, avoiding eye contact with Bucky. 

They knew how they acted around each other, how close they'd gotten over the year, but no one really commented about it; and they didn't really see a reason to change. Most of Team Cap, as well as Natasha, were just happy that they were getting along so well. 

But having some random Joe from a frozen street cart, who'd only heard them talk for a few minutes point that out...it was awkward, of sorts. Terribly embarrassing. 

It was better if they'd just ignore that entirely.

⤜⤑⤑⋆✩❂✩⋆⬸⬸⤛

They began walking back to the Quinjet to go home.

But unfortunately for them, the Universe had other plans; because three small pink goblin- esque creatures came sprinting out of nowhere and snatched one of Bucky's guns, then took off like a race car. 

"What the Hell?!" came Bucky's shout, right before he sped off after them. Tony took flight soon after and followed suit. 

"Tony, what the fuck _are_ those things?!" Bucky shouted over the comms. 

"I have no idea! They look like they crawled right out of Harry Potter!" 

"I don't know what that means, Tony," Bucky said. 

"What?! How have we not had you watch Harry Potter yet? That's dastardly. _Absurd._ We have to fix that asap," Tony exclaimed. 

"I think we have bigger issues right now than a happy otter, doll; a pink fairy stole my handgun," Bucky scoffed. 

"Oh my fucking God, a happy otter," Tony chuckled in response. 

Bucky exhaled loudly in a groan. 

They chased the creatures down two blocks and an alley before they got anywhere close, they were quick little beasts. Bucky had gotten close enough to one and leapt, nearly landing on it and wrangling it around its tiny midsection lightly. The other two split off and ran in opposite directions. 

"I caught one, no gun," Bucky stated in annoyance. 

"Copy, I'll follow the one that took off down Main Street, you take the one on Alpine Drive," Tony ordered. 

"Roger that...what do I do with this little guy?" he said, peering down at the creature clutched in his hands.

The creature wasn't struggling, just simply looking up at him with a sad pout, making some weird type of gurgling noise, a growl? It kind of reminded Bucky of a small child who was told he couldn't play games anymore. If a small child looked like a pink, wrinkled, naked, bulb eyed devil creature with floppy ears...

The creature began banging its small hands on Bucky's wrist, before stopping abruptly, then trying to pull off his glove. 

"Hey, cut that out," Bucky told it. 

It looked up towards Bucky again and said, "Heeno!" 

"What?" Bucky squinted at it. 

"Heeno!!" it chimed louder. 

"I ain't sure what that means little dude, but, ya know? Whatever. I'll call you Heeno. Come on," he told it. 

"Are you making friends with the frumpy pink gumball, Terminator?" Tony piped up over the comms. 

"Can it, Stark," he tossed out in a tease, "I think...they're friendly."

"Oh, well that is wonderful. Mind helping me find the other two musketeers?" he jabbed in a humorous tone. 

"Yeah, yeah," Bucky replied sarcastically. 

Heeno climbed up Bucky's arm and perched on his shoulder as soon as the man loosened his grip, looking down at the man with its big black eyes; then pointing and shouting, "MEEMO!" 

"Well…not the dumbest thing I've ever done," he muttered before heading off in the direction Heeno pointed in. 

Bucky, with Heeno's help, tracked the other one down rather quickly. They found it crouching behind a dumpster in a back alley. Kneeling down, Bucky tried coaxing it to come out. With little resistance, the other creature scampered over to them, Bucky's handgun clutched in its grip. 

"Hey there little guy...girl...thing? I ain't gonna hurt ya. Can I have that back?" he asked in a gentle manner. 

"Meemo?" The creature cocked its head, but held the pistol closer to itself. 

"No, come on, that's dangerous, you could get hurt," he tried again. 

"Meemo! Meemo!" It yapped. 

Bucky sighed. 

_Do they even speak English? What the Hell am I doing?_ he thought to himself. 

Heeno climbed down from atop Bucky's shoulder and scurried over to the other creature, seemingly chatting with it. In a little under a minute, the second creature handed the gun over to Bucky. 

"Thanks, little dude," Bucky said, patting the creature atop the head. 

It made a gurgling chirp sound, then shouted again, "Meemo!" 

"Alright, alright. Thanks, Meemo," Bucky replied again with an upturn of his lips. 

The creatures smiled back and scampered up Bucky's back onto his shoulders, and began messing with his hair. 

"Tony, got the gun, you find the other one?" Bucky asked the other Avenger. 

"I see it, got it cornered, don't think it likes me very much. Keeps making hissing noises at me," Tony replied. 

"Try _not_ lookin' so menacin', doll," Bucky said with a chuckle. 

"Oh, that is _real rich_ coming from you, Terminator," Tony sassed back. "I'm over by Washington Avenue and that weird little coffee shop with all the funky colours on the walls, come save me from this Oompa Loompa, would you?" 

"Be there in three," he responded to the other man. "Alright, hold on tight," he told the two creatures before sprinting off. 

When Bucky arrived to Tony's location, he skidded to a halt and had to bury a snicker. The other creature was atop Iron Man's back, pounding its little fists on the back of the helmet. It was a hilarious image to watch. There was a couple stopped, staring at the scene themselves with looks of question and concern. 

"Nothin' to see here, folks; keep about your business, yeah?" Bucky said to them. 

Reluctantly, they walked off, whispering to each other. 

"Beema!" Heeno called out. The other creature, Beema, probably, stopped its ministrations and cocked its head towards Bucky and the other ones. 

"Heeno!" Beema exclaimed, then jumped down from Iron Man's back and scampered over to Bucky's feet, stopping, and peering up at him. 

Bucky looked down at it. 

"Ya want up here too, I reckon?" Bucky said with a sigh. 

"Beema..?" 

"Yeah, alright, up ya go," Bucky uttered, crouching down towards Beema so it could climb up his arm as well. 

Beema took its place between the other too, tiny feet perched on either side of Bucky's neck, with its hands atop his head. The other two sat on his shoulders. 

Tony stood there staring at the scene in front of him. Big, scary, Winter Soldier, with three small, pink naked mole rats sitting on him. He wasn't quite sure what to make of it. He guesses they _were_ somewhat adorable, sitting there smiling with their weird pointy teeth. 

"Hey, Fri?" he asked. 

"Yes, Boss?"

"Take a picture of this, save it to my personal file." 

"Done and done." 

"You're the best," he sniggered.

"Of course I am," she replied, smug. 

"Hey there, Mr. Roboto, you going to stand over there all day?" Tony called out. 

Bucky simply scoffed in return and headed over towards Tony. 

"So," he paused, "What do ya suppose we do with 'em?" Bucky inquired.

"To be honest...not sure," Tony replied. "These...things, obviously aren't from Earth, and we have no idea where they came from, so I have no real idea where to send them. We could contact the wizards again, I suppose, but-" 

"HEENO!" the first goblin shouted, cutting Tony off. It thrust its hand out again, pointing somewhere down the road.

Bucky angled his head so he could sort of see the thing, then followed its line of sight. 

"Ya want us to follow ya again?" he asked it. 

"Heeno!" it responded, shaking its head up and down. 

"Right, great, we're taking orders from a gremlin now," Tony murmured. 

"Be nice, Tony, he's the one who helped me find my gun," Bucky smirked, then began walking again, where Heeno directed. 

⤜⤑⤑⋆✩❂✩⋆⬸⬸⤛

Heeno led them to a random, grungy subway entrance, then indicated they should go down; so they obeyed. After getting inside, they noted it was very dimly lit, one flickering light on the far left. A slow, continuous drip of water could be heard. 

"Ominous," Tony piped up to no one in particular. 

"A bit," Bucky responded. 

"This place looks abandoned." 

"Probably is." 

"An abandoned subway station in downtown New York City? It's more likely than you think," Tony quipped quietly. 

"Any chance your suit has a fancy flashlight on it?" Bucky inquired. 

"Of course it does, who do you think I am?" Tony scoffed in return, but Bucky could hear the playfulness in his voice. 

Tony's suit cut through the darkness around them, lighting their way. They could see something down the tracks, so they headed towards it. It was a small pink spacecraft, they noted, obviously belonging to the three creatures, the _aliens._ Of course they're aliens, what else would they be? 

"We come in peace," Tony muttered under his breath, sneaking a glance at Bucky. 

They both shared a chuckle. 

"Question is, _how_ did they get down here?" Bucky uttered back. 

"Not sure, Buckaboo, not sure," came Tony's reply. 

The three aliens climbed down from their perch on Bucky's shoulders and trotted over to their ship. Heeno set his hand atop the surface of it and the glass dome on top let out a hiss before opening up. Grabbing a small device, he ran it back over to Bucky, thrusting his hand out and shaking the object at him. 

"You want me to take this?" Bucky asked. 

"Heeno!" 

His eyes shifted over in Tony's direction and they shared a look. Tony shrugged, Bucky squinted and cocked a brow; Tony scoffed. Heeno tilted his head from side to side, seeming to question their silent conversation. 

"Alright, then. What do I do with this?" Bucky asked again, taking the offered device. 

"Heeno, heeno," it said, pointing at its ear. 

"I think it's some type of communicator," Tony piped up. "They obviously like you better." 

Bucky smirked at Tony in response to that comment, but attached the _potential_ communicator to his free ear. 

Heeno looked up at Bucky for a few seconds in silence before giving a proper greeting. "Hello, Scruffy Human," it said. 

"Scruffy? Who ya callin' scruffy?" Bucky scoffed. 

"Are you not scruffy?" Heeno asked, cocking its head. "I must apologize for my associates and I stealing your toy, human. We seem to have caused trouble for you and the metal man."

"A gun is _not_ a toy!" Bucky exclaimed, looking appalled.

Tony suppressed a snicker. 

"Can it, _Metal Man_ ," Bucky mocked, repeating Heeno's nickname and adding dramatic emphasis where needed. 

"Ask them how they got here," Tony chimed in.

"We all have translators embedded into our arms, we understand you fully. Metal Man can simply ask, and we will respond. To answer his question, though; we came through a portal."

"A portal?" the soldier questioned. 

"What portal?" Tony asked. 

"We were flying in our ship, and a portal opened up in front of us, then we came crashing into this tunnel. Our ship is damaged and are unable to contact our home for aid, so we decided to explore this new land. That's when we ran into you."

"Makes sense…" Bucky stated, scratching his chin. 

"We were watching you for some time, actually," Heeno stated, while the other two aliens nodded in agreement. 

"Care to share with the class, Robocop?" Tony asked. 

"They said they were watching us for a while," Bucky replied, purposely leaving out a _few_ details. 

"...creepy," Tony muttered. 

Bucky laughed. 

"I think they need help fixing their ship," Bucky said, looking at Tony. 

"What about the portal? Did they open it?" Tony asked. 

"Doesn't sound like it," Bucky replied. 

⤜⤑⤑⋆✩❂✩⋆⬸⬸⤛

Tony agreed to take a look at the spacecraft, see if he could help. It was alien technology and nothing Tony's ever seen before, but he wasn't a genius for nothing. Bucky handed the communicator over to the other man, and Tony walked over to take a look at the ship with Heeno. They were tinkering around for a bit while Bucky kept the other two company, although unable to understand them again. Heeno seemed to be the captain of the craft, or at least the mechanic; probably both. 

After about twenty minutes meddling around down there in the dark, they fixed it. An engine valve had come undone, blocking power to the craft, all Heeno needed was some metal to fix it. Tony had that.

Heeno had some device that could heat metal and he formed a new piece with his _hands._

Heat resistance, nice. 

"Alright, fire it up!" Tony exclaimed, clapping his hands together. 

The ship started right up. 

"Thank you, Metal Man. You have aided us greatly," Heeno said, patting Tony on the suit's leg. 

Tony gave it a nod. 

Bucky stood from where he sat, the other two finding purchase atop his shoulders again, and began walking over towards the ship.

"Everythin' Gucci?" He asked. 

"Gucci?" Tony questioned, blinking slowly. "Alright, no more hanging out with Peter." 

Bucky just laughed. 

"We must get going now, Earthlings," Heeno said. "It has been nice greeting you, but we must be getting back home now." 

"Home, that sounds nice," Tony sighed, patting his neck, then bending 'til it popped. 

"They leavin'?" Bucky asked. 

"Appears so," Tony responded. 

Bucky looked a little sad, he had grown fond of these little aliens, but he understood that they had no real place here on Earth. Also that they had a life away from here, a family of their own. Tony noted this and gave the translator back to his partner. 

"So you can say goodbye," he said. 

Bucky nodded and placed the device back on his ear, saying their goodbyes and chatting a bit. The aliens all gave Bucky a hug, an ' _Earth farewell'_ they said, and hopped into their craft. 

Tony and Bucky watched them lift off, then disappear as their cloaking device was turned on. Bucky waved, though he was unsure they could even see him anymore. 

"Alright, so, while I was talking to Heeno over there, he; is he a he? I don't know. Anyways, Heeno said that after they crashed through the portal, it closed behind them," Tony began. 

"Alright, so, what now?" Bucky asked. 

"I shot Strange another message, letting him know what happened. He said he'd keep an eye out for anything else _magical_ ," he said, wiggling his fingers for emphasis, "and I have Fri scanning the area for anything out of the ordinary. All clear so far. So, I think we should head home," Tony replied. 

"Home sounds amazin', let's do tha-!" 

Bucky's words were cut off by a loud crashing noise and the subway tunnel shaking. Both of them were shocked still and whipped their heads towards where they believed the noise to be coming from. 

Maniacal laughter crept through the darkness, followed by the sound of...running footsteps? Multiple running footsteps. God, it sounded like a stampede of elephants! 

⤜⤑⤑⋆✩❂✩⋆⬸⬸⤛

Bucky and Tony shared a look of shock; it was disturbing in the darkly lit underground. Turning off the suit's flashlight, Tony clasped Bucky's arm and guided him towards the wall of the tunnel. They weren't sure what was headed their way, but getting off the tracks was their smartest option. 

Bucky placed his hand over the arc reactor in the suit, trying to block the light. The two were huddled close against a wall next to a utility entrance door. 

"We should head farther down," Bucky whispered to the other man. 

"Why?" Tony whispered back. 

"More light down that way, I can see it. I dunno what that noise is, Tony, but I ain't gonna wanna fight it in the dark." 

"Yeah, good plan," Tony agreed. 

Their hands brushed together when Tony went to cover the arc reactor himself, figuring running would be easier if they weren't attached via hand-to-chest. Not that Tony _minds_ Bucky's hand there. 

"Sorry," Bucky coughed out, taking his hand back. 

"No problem at all, Freezypop, you can put your hands on me any time," Tony cooed.

Neither of them could see Tony's wink or Bucky's accompanying eyeroll, but they could feel it in the air anyways. 

They got up and started running; Bucky was quiet, almost completely silent. _Assassins_. Tony's armor, however, clunked loudly. He also couldn't run that quickly in it. 

"Ah, shit, Tony," Bucky shot out, "ya may as well just fly over, no point coverin' the light if you're gonna sound like a fork in a garbage disposal anyways." 

"I'm _real_ sorry, Bucky, I'll remember to wear my moon shoes next time," he spat out, not without humor. 

Bucky snorted and chuckled to himself as the Iron Man suit took off down the tracks.

A way up, Tony found a better light source and landed the suit; checking the area for anyone who might be down there. He couldn't see any civilians and let out a sigh of relief. Bucky caught up to him quickly. 

He was about to direct a question at the other man, but a purple beam shot right past him, close enough that the wind whipped his hair forwards. 

Bucky's eyes widened in surprise before cranking his head around to see what, or who, shot out the magical laser beam. Tony's expression mimicked Bucky's own. Another blast came down the tunnel, straight towards Bucky; he darted out of the blast zone just in time, rolling and landing back on his feet in a crouched position. Tony dove in the other direction; the blast came so quickly he didn't have time to take flight. His armor hit the ground and he rolled onto his side. 

"What the Hell?!" Bucky barked out, getting back to his feet. 

He ran over to where Tony was also rising in three large steps, turning back to face their oncoming attacker. His murder glare was planted firmly in place, he was absolutely _over_ this day, but it wavered slightly when their opponent came closer into view. 

"Is that...?" Tony questioned, incredulously. 

"A...shark?" Bucky finished. 

"A shark with legs," Tony stated, voice clipped. 

"Tony, what the Hell am I lookin' at?" 

"I haven't the slightest." 

It appeared to be a giant shark...with legs, six legs to be exact; and it was barreling towards them at mach speed. There was a man in a purple robe, holding a staff, riding its back. Another blast shot out from the staff, the boys ducking for cover again. 

"Great, another fuckin' wizard," Bucky rasped.

"I'm so sick of magic," Tony spat out in annoyance.

"Fri, baby, put me through to the Doc again, we need-" Tony began, but was cut out by the sound of Bucky's shout. 

"Tony, move!" 

There was a loud crash right behind Tony, the concrete wall bursting into a thousand pieces. He was hit with falling debris, but Tony got away in the nick of time, skidding to a halt beside Bucky. 

A second giant shark monster had smashed through the wall right where Tony had been standing. 

_Great, now there are two of them,_ he thought. 

Bucky exhaled loudly, a deep groan that Tony absolutely felt as well. 

"Alright, stay alert, Terminator," Tony began, "We have to take out The Dark Magician here first, I'm pretty sure he's controlling these...landsharks." 

"Right. Take out a magical ray shooting wizard on a giant shark, copy," Bucky muttered. 

"Yeah, that," Tony responded. 

"Can ya cover me, I can try and shoot him." 

"You can't just shoot him!" Tony exclaimed, "We need to detain him, bring him in for questioning." 

"Oh fuck off, Metal Man, I ain't gonna kill him," he retorted. "Maybe I can force him to drop that fancy stick." 

"You know what? That sounds super, covering now," Tony began, but was ripped from his concentration when the second landshark leapt towards them again. 

He pushed Bucky before leaping out of the way himself, causing the other man to drop his rifle. 

"Shit," Bucky spat. 

"Language," Tony joked. 

"Oh, are ya kiddin' me right now!?" came Bucky's irritated retort. 

"Couldn't help it," Tony replied, jumping out of the blast zone again, as another purple beam shot towards him. 

Bucky pulled out one of his pistols and fired off a few rounds at the wizard, but he had some sort of forcefield and the bullets fell flat. 

"For fuck's sake!" he yelled. "Can't shoot him, I guess. Gotta take out the sharks." 

The wizard fired off two more blasts at Bucky, crazed laughter bubbling out of him. Bucky managed to escape the blasts, but he got buried under the debris as the wall blew up behind him.

"You cannot defeat me," the wizard called. 

"Clam yer yapper, ya wannabe fortune teller!" Bucky hollered, pulling himself out of the rubble, throwing bits of rock to the side harshly. He was completely annoyed now, scowling and fueled by irritated rage. 

"Calm down, Soldier; you alright?" Tony's voice called over the comms, voice strained. 

"Peachy," came Bucky's irritated response. 

"Great, good. Wanna help an old man out?" Tony asked. 

Bucky turned his head only to see Tony literally _grappling_ with a landshark! He had his hands planted on the beast's muzzle; one on the top jaw, the other on the bottom, while the beast pushed the armor backwards, clamping his jaws open and shut. 

"Good fuckin' lord, Tony!" Bucky shouted, hopping up and sprinting to the other man. 

"Not so fast!" The wizard howled out, shooting another blast that shattered the floor right in front of Bucky. The blast blew Bucky back, but he did a roll and quickly landed back on his feet. He fired two more rounds at the wizard, hoping it would deter him enough so he could make it to Tony. 

It didn't. 

The beast with the wizard then darted towards Bucky, not giving him any opportunity to help his fellow Avenger. He jumped out of the way, but the landshark turned quickly, smashing the walls of the tunnel with its massive tail, then lunging for Bucky once more. 

Tony tried firing off a repulsor blast at the shark, but neither of his gauntlets were working, and the beast had him pushed back nearly to the wall. It was cornering him. 

"Fri? What's going on with my suit?!" he huffed, voice strangled and tired. 

"I'm not sure, Boss!" she shrieked, concern for her creator slipping through. "The suit isn't responding! This creature's drool is all over the armor and I cannot get anything to cooperate." 

"Shit," he cursed. 

Tony let go of the beast's jaws and fell to the ground. It tried snapping at the armor, but it was kind of slow in close quarters. The beast moved and tried again to bite Tony, but he rolled away and crawled out from behind its back legs. Tony may be slow in the armor, but the beast was slower up close. 

"Tony, what's goin' on?" Bucky called over the comms, letting out a grunt as he dodged another blast from the wizard. 

"Suit's not working," he replied, jumping behind a pile of rubble for cover. Hopefully the landshark didn't see him. 

"Fri, baby?" he whispered to his AI, "Fri!?" 

There was no answer. Tony felt panic creeping into his core, hands starting to tremble slightly.

The light of the arc reactor went dark. 

"Sorry, Boss. Something is affecting my ability to control the suit, the power went dead," FRIDAY's voice piped up after a moment. 

"Shit, baby girl, I thought I'd lost you," he sighed in relief. 

"Boss, you need to get out of the suit. I'm not sure what it is, I'm unable to run any more tests without the suit working, but I don't think you should let that stuff get on your skin, and it has already leaked through the gaps in the armor," she advised, caution and wariness in her tone. 

"Fan-damn-tastic," Tony muttered. 

⤜⤑⤑⋆✩❂✩⋆⬸⬸⤛

Tony could hear the sounds of Bucky continuing to fight around the corner, and he worried for the man. He hoped that the second shark was still looking for him, but at the same time, having to remove the suit would leave him terribly vulnerable. He had his wristwatch gauntlet and a pair of sunglasses on him, which would give him a small shred of protection, as well as contact to FRIDAY, but it wasn't much. 

He pressed the release lock on his suit, then climbed out; thankful that he had added an easier way out of his suit that still worked with no power. Getting himself trapped inside a dead suit wasn't something he wanted to try again. 

He placed the glasses on and activated the gauntlet quickly, turning to head towards Bucky, but came face to face with too many rows of too-sharp teeth. He let out a yelp, but before he could even react, he was splattered with chunks of shark brain. The beast dropped like a sack of potatoes.

Bucky, winded, angry, and covered in dust, was standing right behind it, arm stretched out and pistol pointed. He looked like a wild animal. Tony found it oddly endearing. 

"Heard ya could use some help, doll," Bucky quipped, rubbing some excess dirt off his face. 

"My hero," Tony fluttered, placing the back of his hand on his forehead and pretending to swoon. 

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be your hero, baby, but we still got another one'a them things, an' that purple asshole to deal with," Bucky started with a teasing coo, but trailed off into a grumble over their predicament. 

"Ugh, right," Tony grumbled as well, rubbing his shirt sleeve across his face to wipe off the splattering of shark. 

Bucky ran over to Tony and began to check him for injury. Tony scoffed with an _'I'm fine,'_ and swatted his hands away, peering over the man's shoulder to try and see what the wizard was up to. 

"Well, don't tell me I'm your hero then get mad when I wanna check on ya, doll," Bucky muttered. 

"You can put your hands all over me later," Tony murmured. 

It was Bucky's turn to scoff. 

Their banter was cut short by another blast shooting towards them. Bucky grabbed Tony and leapt them to the side, they barely managed to dodge it. 

The wizard and the massive shark turned the corner, coming into full view. The man was seething, anger contorting his face into something foul, grotesque. 

"You will pay for killing my beast, creatures!" he squawked. 

"Did he just call _us_ creatures?" Tony blurted, quizzically. 

"Not the time," Bucky warned.

The man lifted his staff again and Bucky cursed. It was getting harder and harder to dodge these attacks, what with the rubble everywhere, and the fact that they were growing more tired by the minute; and now Tony was without his armor. 

The blast shot out, Tony and Bucky both took off to the left to avoid getting hit by it; but a small orange, sparkly circle appeared and the blast disappeared into it. 

Strange stepped through the portal, looking more annoyed than earlier that day. 

"Can't you two buffoons deal with anything yourselves?" he scoffed in annoyance, but smirking as well. 

Strange knew the Avengers weren't well versed in magic, or the mystical arts, but he wouldn't skip an opportunity to give Tony Stark shit. It was all part of the charm of their friendship. 

"Aren't you a sight for sore eyes, Dumbledore!" Tony piped up with a relieved grin. "You're in big trouble now, Jafar!" he yelled at the man. 

"Don't antagonize him, Tony," Bucky griped. 

"Yes, please, don't make this any worse," Strange offered as well. 

"Spoil sports," Tony mumbled. 

⤜⤑⤑⋆✩❂✩⋆⬸⬸⤛

Doctor Strange and the unnamed wizard began fighting. The man wasn't too happy that another magic user showed up, and he started spouting nonsense about how he was superior. 

Unfortunately for _him,_ the fight didn't last long. 

Strange had him captured in under five minutes and transported him through the portal to where Wong was waiting. The landshark was also bound, unable to move, but they weren't sure what to do with it yet. 

"I hope you don't mind, Stark, but we're taking him," Strange told Tony. "I do believe he's the man who used the artifact earlier today, and if he isn't, he may know who did." 

"That sounds...fair," Tony responded. 

"Good, it wasn't up for debate," the Sorcerer stated. 

"What about Frankenstein's Monster over there?" Tony questioned. 

All three of them turned their heads toward the beast. It was snarling and thrashing harshly against the restraints, looking completely berserk. 

"I can…" Bucky trailed off, expression strained. 

"I believe this creature has been enchanted," Strange declared. 

"Enchanted?" Bucky and Tony responded in unison, looking back towards Strange. 

Without replying to the two's query, the Sorcerer Supreme cast a spell which should reverse the enchantment placed on the beast. 

It worked, but not how they thought it would. 

The beast disappeared! 

"Where the Hell is it? Strange, what the fuck?" Tony yipped. 

Bucky saw something scurry across the wreckage in the corner of his eye, and he darted towards it, skidding to a halt. There was _no way_ he was letting the beast run off, not after everything. But when he found it, it was...smaller. _Much_ smaller. No larger than a medium sized dog. The landshark was crouched down behind a large slab of concrete, cowering; it looked...afraid. 

Bucky felt a pang of hurt go through his chest and he crouched down a couple yards away from it, hands raised in a placating manner. He began trying to coax it out, speaking calmly. 

"Hey, little buddy, I'm sorry, alright? Come on, it's okay. I ain't gonna hurt ya," he tried. 

After a few minutes of trying, and Bucky slowly inching forwards, the landshark finally came out from behind the slab. It slowly crept closer, before sniffing the man's outstretched hand. 

Tony and Strange shared a look, but continued to watch the scene act out. 

Tony thought it was kind of adorable. 

The landshark sniffed Bucky's hand some more, but skittered backwards and let out a small growl when Bucky tried petting it. 

"No, come on, you're alright, you're fine," he tried again. 

The beast inched back towards Bucky, head low and back arched; It reminded Bucky of a wary cat, but eventually it came close again. This time, it licked Bucky's hand. Bucky tried once more to pet it, with success. It purred, then leapt into Bucky's arms and headbutted his chin. It hurt a bit, but Bucky let out a laugh, eyes crinkling in the corners. 

Strange saw the soft look in Tony's eyes as he watched the interaction and smirked knowingly. 

"I'll leave this to you, then," he chimed, before stepping into the portal and disappearing. 

"So, what _are_ we going to do with it?" Tony asked as he sauntered over to where Bucky was now sitting on the ground with a lapful of shark dog. 

Bucky simply peered up at him, the now-small beast attacking his face and neck with slobbery licks. 

They stared each other down for a long moment. 

"...You want to keep it, don't you?" Tony let out as a sigh, shaking his head. 

"I…" he hesitated, "Well, I mean...he's cute, Tony. And nice? And, well…I feel guilty," Bucky mumbled. The landshark curled up into his lap, but Bucky continued to pet it. 

"Guilty for?" Tony asked. 

He followed Bucky's pained gaze, trailing to where the other landshark's carcass lay lifeless on the ground. Knowing now that the creatures aren't terrible beasts, but were simply under an evil dark lord's enchantment, Tony also felt a pang of hurt. They weren't exactly his cup of tea for a desired pet, but it didn't deserve to die because of the evil of man. 

Tony said nothing, but was pretty sure he would be renovating Bucky's rooms to accommodate a new…dog. 

"Alright, how about we head home, then? I'm beat," Tony sighed out. 

"What about...?" Bucky questioned, gaze trailing back to the lump of creature laying in his lap. 

"Yeah, you can bring it too," he stated with a grin. "I have a feeling you wouldn't let me say no, anyways." 

Bucky chuckled, lips curving into a devious smile. 

"You're absolutely right, sugar. I named him Dagger." 

"Of course you did," Tony proclaimed, staring blankly at the other man. It swelled into affection, though. Tony's deadpan wasn't nearly on par with Bucky's. 

Bucky's following grin was well worth the furniture that might be shredded by Dagger's claws. Tony could afford it anyways. 

Money can't buy happiness; it can buy _things_ , but this? Seeing the sheer joy on Bucky's face as he scratched Dagger behind the fins, that was priceless. 

⤜⤑⤑⋆✩❂✩⋆⬸⬸⤛

The two of them, with Dagger following close at Bucky's heel, started their trek back to an entrance. They were both beyond ready to be out of this subway. 

"Man, I'm going to be so glad to see daylight again. This dark, dingy tunnel is the _worst!_ " Tony expressed with a groan. 

Bucky was about to respond to Tony's whining, but the sound of clattering above them stopped him short. 

He glanced up, then shouted for Tony to move, but it was too late. Part of the ceiling came crashing down on them, encasing them in rubble. Bucky managed to jump on top of Tony, taking the brunt of the debris himself, Dagger trapped between them. He must have jumped, too.

They both coughed, dirt spattering their faces, and dust sinking into their airways. 

"Bucky!?" Tony wheezed out, using his free hand to cover his face from the falling dirt. 

Bucky let out a grunt, voice tight like he was in pain. 

Dagger whined and tried to wiggle free, but that only served to make a few more rocks fall down beside them. 

"Dagger, stay," Tony commanded. "Bucky, are you alright? I can't see you."

"Doin' fine, sweetheart!" Bucky said through clenched teeth. 

He was straining himself holding up a large piece of the concrete ceiling that had fallen on them. Part of it was buried under the other fallen rocks, making it harder to budge. He didn't think there was much on top of them, and he could probably lift this off with only a moderate struggle, but if he lost his footing and wound up in a different position, it would become damn near impossible. 

"Cover your face, I'm gonna get this off us," Bucky wrenched out. 

Tony used one hand to cover his face as he was told, and placed the other on the back of Dagger's flat head. Tony could hear Bucky straining and wished he could be of more help, but he wasn't in a proper position for that, being on his back with Bucky's legs entrapping his own. Bucky let out a loud grunt that echoed in the crumbling tunnel as he hoisted the chunk of concrete off them; then collapsed back down nearly on top of the man under him. He was panting lightly, hands on either side of Tony's head. 

"So...that a gun in your pocket, or you just happy to see me?" Tony sassed, grinning wide. 

"Now is _NOT_ the time!" Bucky barked out. 

The danger of the situation seemed small, and Tony wouldn't be Tony if he didn't take every opportunity to use sarcasm. Bucky found that charming, yet entirely unnecessary considering, well, literally everything. 

Dagger yipped and licked them both in the face. 

"Let's get outta this crumblin' shithole," Bucky groaned, getting up and offering Tony a hand. 

Luckily, other than a few bumps, scratches, and bruises, they came out of this mostly unharmed. 

"Sounds great," Tony replied, grabbing Bucky's outstretched hand and allowing himself to be hefted up. 

⤜⤑⤑⋆✩❂✩⋆⬸⬸⤛

The sun was still shining brightly in the sky when they climbed up the stairway back to the ground. Tony mewled out a relieved sigh that sounded way too sexual to be out in the public like this, Bucky thought. He shook his head vigorously, causing stray dirt and dust to fall, trying hard _not_ to think about the sounds Tony could make. 

_So. Not. The. Time!_ he berated himself, clenching his eyes closed and looking terribly annoyed. 

"You alright there, Bucky?" Tony questioned. 

"Yup, just dandy," he muttered. "Can we _please_ go home now?" 

Tony's answer of agreement was on the tip of his tongue when a loud thunderous sound shot through the air, rumbling the ground beneath their feet. 

"Ya gotta be fuckin' kiddin' me!" Bucky groaned loudly, head tossed back. He was so not ready for anymore bullshit today. 

"Was that…?" Tony questioned. 

"Explosion? Yeah," Bucky replied. 

"Man, what the Hell!?" Tony launched his arms up in exasperation. "What is with today, honestly?" 

"Not sure, but that sounded pretty close. I'm going to check it out," Bucky stated. 

"You mean _we,_ " Tony added. 

"Doll, ya ain't even got a suit anymore, it was trashed," Bucky tried. 

"I'm going, and that is final, Buckaroo. I don't need my suit to get things done," Tony leveled Bucky with a firm look, a _'this is not a discussion'_ kind of look. 

"I know, doll, it's just that... you're slow," Bucky mocked, wide, lopsided grin planted on his face. 

"Asshole, such an asshole," Tony jeered, shaking his head, but a smile of his own was smeared across his face. "Alright, you go on ahead, don't do anything _I_ would do until I get there." 

"Yes sir, Captain sir," Bucky replied with a mock salute before running off towards where they heard the explosion, Dagger speeding off after him. 

With Bucky's super hearing, he definitely heard the other man's scoff. 

⤜⤑⤑⋆✩❂✩⋆⬸⬸⤛

When Tony finally arrived to where Bucky was located, his movements were shocked into stillness at what he saw. Was that a...giant mecha rhinoceros? 

The metal rhino was running rampant through the streets, crushing cars, charging into buildings. If they didn't stop this soon, a lot of damage would be caused, people would be injured, maybe even killed! 

Tony looked around the wreckage for Bucky, but couldn't see him, and had to choke down the bile in his stomach as he started to panic. 

"Soldier, copy?" He spoke into their comms, hoping his voice didn't waver. 

"Copy," Bucky rasped, voice sounding strained, again. 

"Where are you? What's going on?!" Tony demanded. 

"Oh, don't mind me, sugar, jus' had a car tossed on me by an angry metal hippo, be 'ight," he responded, voice clipped. 

Tony could hear Bucky huff over the comms; sounded as though he'd lifted and threw something heavy; then sighed in irritation. He sounded fine. 

"It's a rhino," was all Tony could think to say. The relief that Bucky was alright threatened his resolve. 

"Yeah, yeah, how do we stop it?" he asked. 

"I don't know, but it's mechanical, I'm sure I could figure it out if I could just get close enough," Tony stated. 

"No way, Tony," Bucky spoke firmly, "That thing just launched me down two blocks, stay away from it 'til Fri can get a suit to ya." 

"Ugh, fine. Fri, how we comin' on that suit?" Tony spoke into his communicator. 

"One minute and thirteen seconds out, Boss," she replied. 

"Fantastic," he replied. 

⤜⤑⤑⋆✩❂✩⋆⬸⬸⤛

After the second Iron Man suit arrived, the Rhino was put down easily. Tony had FRIDAY ran a scan on its inner mechanisms, and found it was being remote controlled by someone on a rooftop nearby. He sent Bucky after the man with the orders not to engage unless absolutely necessary. 

Tony shot a repulsor beam through the robotic rhino and the rest was history. 

The man started to run away, but Bucky tackled and subdued him. Apparently he wasn't much of a fighter. 

Members of New S.H.I.E.L.D. finally arrived on the scene, taking the man in for questioning, and disposing of the robo-rhino as well. 

Shame, really. Tony would have liked to get a look at it himself before S.H.I.E.L.D. got their sticky grubs on it. 

"Alright, I'm absolutely beat," Tony said, flying up to meet Bucky where he still stood on the roof, chatting with a few S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. 

"Same," Bucky replied, sighing.

Dagger appeared to agree, because he plopped down at Bucky's feet and let out what sounded like a snort. Poor boy had had a rough day. They all had, what was supposed to have been a simple mission had definitely devolved into a mess of day.

They both stood in comfortable silence for a few moments, watching the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents scurry about their business, before Tony spoke up. 

"I told you you'd do great," he said softly, eyes panning over to meet Bucky's gaze. 

"Yeah?" Bucky asked, looking back out towards the skyline of the city. 

"Yeah. I would never doubt you, Buckaroo; especially after today, I will always have faith that you'll have my back." 

Bucky didn't meet Tony's eyes again, but a small, soft smile formed on his face. Those words meant more to Bucky than Tony would probably ever know. The warm smile and soft look on Bucky's face was enough for Tony, he didn't need a response more than that. It made his chest feel incredibly warm. 

"Think we can actually go home this time?" Tony said in a playful manner, nudging the other man in the side. 

Bucky intended to reply, but his attention was taken by the ship pulling up to the landing pad on the roof. 

"I don't believe this," Bucky spit out, incredulously. 

"Ya missed all the damn fun, punks!" he called out to the other Avengers a moment later as they were all walking out of the ship. 

Steve sprinted over to them. 

"What are ya doing here, Buck?" he questioned, sending a glance in Tony's direction. 

"First official mission, Stevie, and honestly, I'm over it. I don't wanna be an Avenger anymore," he deadpanned, staring his friend in the eye. 

Steve's expression went from shocked, confused, to almost hurt in a matter of seconds, but instantly went back to bright eyed and bushy tailed when he realized Bucky was joking. They shared a grin, Steve clasping his friend on the shoulder. 

Looking down, Steve then asked, "Uhm, Buck? What is that?" 

"It's my dog," Bucky uttered, cocking a brow at the other man as if challenging him to question it. 

"Your...dog. Buck, that isn't-" Steve began, but Bucky cut him off. 

"Really though, I'm going home," Bucky said, before grabbing Tony's arm and dragging him away. Dagger trotted beside them. 

"Take a shower while you're at it!" Natasha shouted. 

The two retreating Avengers didn't respond, but they could hear Sam and Clint's laughter trailing after them, and the beginnings of the others' conversation. 

_"Think they're okay?" Sam asked._

_"They look fine enough, we'll find out more at the meeting later," Steve replied._

Tony and Bucky paid it no mind and exited the rooftop door. 

⤜⤑⤑⋆✩❂✩⋆⬸⬸⤛

Just when they thought it was finally over, turns out bad luck still had a little bit left in store for them. Because as soon as they walked out the front door, a basketball came flying out of nowhere and biffed Bucky right in the side of the face; he didn't even have time to react. 

Bucky's hand flew to his face, blood oozing from his nose. 

"Oh, Goddammit!" he cursed out, frustrated. 

It would heal quickly, but that wasn't the point. 

"Here, tilt your head back, it'll be better, stop the bleeding or whatever they say," Tony offered. 

Bucky just let off an irritated grumble. 

"It'll be alright, Buckaroo," Tony quipped, carding his hand through Bucky's long locks. It was snarled and dirty, but considering the day they'd had, it was to be expected, and Tony didn't mind the grime. 

"This whole day has been a huge _suck_!" Bucky roared out in a groan, rubbing the stray blood off his face. 

"Oh, a big suck, huh?" Tony responded, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. 

"Ugh, not now, Tony. Today has been dreadful," Bucky voiced, pinching the bridge of his nose, eyes clenched together. He was getting a migraine.  
  
  
"Yeah, It has, but maybe I can make the night better," Tony replied, linking his arm around Bucky's.  
  
  
"Are you tryin'a get fresh with me, doll?" Bucky chuckled, side eyeing Tony. His lips curved up at the corners.  
  
  
"Nope. Never."  
  
  
"Uh huh, sure," he said, a fond smile planted firm on his face. "We gotta go to the debriefing meetin' still, ya know."  
  
  
"I think Steve can handle this one on his own, since he missed all the fun. I'll even send him our video feeds so he can watch all the cool stuff he missed." 

  
"Even the flirty parts?" Bucky asked.  


"Especially the flirty parts," Tony grinned.  
  
  
"I like the way ya think, sugar. Alright, fine. Let's blow this popsicle stand," Bucky quipped.  
  
  
"That was such a terrible joke." 


End file.
